Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been indicted by prosecutors in the United States on charges related to a scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown in MLB games, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports.
Passan also reported that Ortiz was arrested in Boston on Sunday.
The two pitchers were placed on paid leave by the league in August related to a gambling scheme, and did not play for the remainder of the season.
The 23-page indictment against Clase and Ortiz lays out the alleged scheme for the pitchers to intentionally throw balls so bettors could wager on pitches to be balls or strikes. It started, prosecutors say, as early as May 2023 with Clase and later included Ortiz, Passan reports.
“MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process,” the league announced in a statement to ESPN. “We are aware of the indictment and today’s arrest, and our investigation is ongoing.”
More to come.
